PREP BOYS GOLF: A Q&A with Torrey Pines senior Mike Koeneke

﻿Torrey Pines High senior Mike Koeneke probably started playing
golf later than any of his teammates on the best boys team in the
San Diego Section.

Most of Koeneke’s teammates on the undefeated Falcons, who begin
their drive for a state title today in the Southern California
Regionals in Pasadena, began playing as soon as they could
walk.

Not Koeneke.

Most of them were out walking the fairways before their first
day of kindergarten.

Not Koeneke.

Koeneke’s interest in other sports such as soccer, basketball
and baseball were in full bloom long before he even gave golf a
second thought.

Question
: When did you first become
interested in golf?

Answer
:
My dad played, but I
didn’t start until eighth grade.

Q: What triggered it?

A
:
My grandfather (Gene
Lipovich) died and I got his golf clubs. I didn’t even know what to
do with them at that point.

Q: Did you run out for a lesson or at least hit the
driving range with those clubs?

A:
I hit balls at cars and broke a window on a
taxi cab. We scattered pretty quickly. I never got caught for
that.

Q: How long after the cab incident did you get serious
about golf?

A:
It was still just a hobby. I was into other
sports. Slowly, I figured out I was pretty good at golf, so I went
with it.

Q: How much of a late starter were you?

A:
I’m at least six or seven years behind most
of the guys on my own team. That extra time would really help my
game. I was able to go through other sports before hitting on
golf.

Q: What was it about golf that finally got you
hooked?

A:
It’s all on me. Good day or bad day, I’m the
only one responsible. There’s no team to blame it on. If you screw
up, it’s your fault. I like that challenge.

Q: Is the best part of your game off the tee or on the
green?

A:
I’m definitely not a putter. I got a new
putter a month ago and I haven’t missed a shot yet with it.
Hopefully, it will keep working for awhile.

Q: Last year you missed Torrey Pines’ run to the state
championship and the loss, didn’t you?

A:
I got cut. I wasn’t fully invested in the
game yet and it showed.

Q: How much did that hurt?

A:
It didn’t eat away at me. I knew I had to
work my butt off, and I did. I played a lot of junior golf
tournaments. I had plenty of days where I hated it, but I wanted to
make the Torrey Pines team this year to make another run at a state
title.

Q: Was it a long year waiting for another tryout at
Torrey Pines?

A:
The game of golf will screw with your mind.
It’s like getting a birdie on the last hole of a bad day. It’s
enough to keep you coming back. I just had to keep coming back.